My First Solo Exhibition
27 February – 27 March 2014
Although I had taken part in numerous group exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad, my first solo exhibition was hosted by the ITU Rectorate Art Gallery. It all began when Prof. Dr. Telem Gök Sağdıkoğlu attended one of my courses at Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic Garden (NGBB) in 2013. The remarkable illustrations produced by the artists on that course were first exhibited at NGBB, and later — at Prof. Dr. Telem's suggestion — at Istanbul Technical University's Gümüşsuyu Campus. The exhibition attracted great interest and subsequently transferred, as a travelling show, to the Rectorate Building. And then came the idea: why not open an exhibition of the teacher's own paintings?
With every detail carefully considered and prepared by the ITU family, my first solo exhibition was a joy, a source of pride, and deeply exciting. The exhibition includes 41 works and is open until 27 March. You may also like to see the new products — notebooks, cups and more — produced by ITU using three of my paintings. I prepared images of Tulip, Iris and Poppy especially for the ITU Collection; these colourful products will be available for purchase during the exhibition, with proceeds contributing to student scholarships. Every moment of this experience has been thrilling for me — I hope it will be for you too.
"In England we have been very excited by Işık's work. The scientific accuracy is perfect, and the paintings are works of art as well. Işık's training as an engineer is evident in the representation of leaf structure and the arrangement of leaves on the branch — this can be seen particularly well in the painting of the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) from Chile.
It is a great pleasure to see the paintings for the book Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile. This will be a work famous for all time, combining botanical art and scientific description. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is fortunate indeed to have the great skill and talent of Işık Güner for this book."
Martyn Rix Editor, Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Kew Judge, Royal Horticultural Society Picture Committee
